Never Be the Same
by sourulfur
Summary: The princess, Clarke Griffin, has been promised her entire life to someone she has never met. Now that she is of age, it is time for them to meet; and, nothing will be the same.


There was a knock on her door that morning, but Clarke ignored it, burrowing even further under her covers while hiding her face in one of the many pillows that adorned her bed. The day, she felt, could just disappear. "Sweetheart," came her mother's voice from behind the door, followed by another soft knock and the sound of the door creaking open. "It's time to wake up, sweetheart. It's a big day."

"I don't want to," Clarke grumbled into her pillow, hugging it ever tighter even as her mother shut the door and began to cross the room to her bedside. "Can't we just forget today? Please?"

Abby Griffin sighed softly as she sat down next to her daughter, reaching out to brush the girl's blonde hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," Abby replied, a very faint and tired smile forming on her face. "I know it's not fair, but it is the way things are. I'm sure you'll grow to love him. I did your father."

It was the day that Clarke was turning of age, the day in which she would officially meet the young man she was betrothed to; a prince from a neighboring kingdom, who would help unite the two lands for several generations to come. Clarke knew the significance, she knew all the details. That did not help the ache in her chest at the thought of being stuck with a man she may never love for the rest of her life. "Why can't I just... fall in love like all the other girls?"

"Being a princess is... a duty, and with it comes certain... responsibilities. It is unfair to ask this of you, but we must. It is just..."

"How things are. I know, Mother." That did not mean that she had to be happy about it.

Clarke continued to be unhappy about it all morning, even as she smiled softly and talked with her mother throughout getting her hair fixed and putting on her beautiful, white dress. It was not a wedding dress, but traditional white, as she should be wearing when being introduced to her future husband. She was not to wear color, but in a small act of defiance, Clarke adorned a red rose flower crown to wear throughout the entire party that would be taking place that afternoon and into the evening once the guests of honor had arrived.

Once she had dressed for the day and had a light breakfast, Clarke made her way outside to the seemingly endless garden behind the palace. There, she let herself grow lost in the hedge maze, somewhere near the white roses and the pink, flowered tree that she did not know the name of. They were were beautiful, though. They were the last things on her mind that day, however, as she paced along the stone edge of the large water fountain. Clarke picked up the hem of her dress so that the skirt would not drop into the water as she walked back and forth, a few tendrils of shorter hair falling into her face as she paced, swearing under her breath. "Careful, Princess," warned someone lurking near-by that Clarke had been trying to ignore. She frowned as she glanced over to where Bellamy Blake, one of the royal guard, stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against one of the trees. "You don't want to ruin that pretty dress of yours."

"Oh, bite me, Bellamy," replied Clarke with another frown and a roll of her eyes. "I came here to be _alone_." Clarke shot Bellamy a pointed look, though he simply lifted his brow in response and she sighed heavily. His unvoiced thought was well heard in her mind, a reminder that the princess was _never_ truly alone. "Just leave me be, then. I don't need your commentary today."

"Nervous?"

"No!" Clarke pursed her lips in a scowl when Bellamy smirked at her, once again raising his brow slightly though he shrugged a moment later, as if he had no interest one way or the other. "I'm not nervous. I just... I never wanted this day to get here." Clarke closed her eyes for several moments, tilting her head up toward the sky as she simply stood there, tightening her grip on the material in her hands for a moment before opening her eyes once again. "Would you tell on me if I ran away?"

"You know me, Princess," replied Bellamy as he pushed himself away from the tree to take a couple steps toward the blonde. "I'd be the one dragging you back kicking and screaming." Try as she might, Clarke could not keep from laughing softly at Bellamy's statement, smiling as she shook her head in amusement. "Ah, there it is. A smile. You _can_ smile. No other witnesses, though."

"Bellamy Blake, you are incorrigible." Her words, though meant to be sharp and condemning simply sounded more fond and amused than anything. The one thing she could not deny was that over the few years that Bellamy served on the guard, she had found herself disliking him less and less than she had when they first met. There were times, she found, that she even enjoyed his company; until he ruined the near-friendship with some idle words. It was nice to know, however, that even when she was not happy with his words, it was a great ease to know that he was always right there, should she find herself into any trouble.

There was a level of trust, one that Clarke did not have with anyone else, or did she believe she would be able to possess again. It was a trust that came with several times of Bellamy going out of his way to ensure her protection. He had saved her life numerous times. It was more than she could say for over half the guard. "Come on, Princess," Bellamy said after a moment, walking over to her side with an extended hand and a barely-there smile. "Let's get you to that party of yours. I believe the guest of honor would have arrived by now."

Clarke let out a heavy breath and stood there another moment before she took his hand and stepped down off the ledge of the fountain onto the grass. She lost her footing as she tried to take a step, and only her hand in Bellamy's kept her steady enough to not fall. "Thanks," she stated softly, letting go of Bellamy's hand to pick up the hem of her dress again.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they walked through the maze toward the sweeping lawns at the back of the palace. Clarke grew increasingly more nervous the closer to the end of the maze they got, and she let out a slightly shaky breath when Bellamy stopped her a mere 100 feet away with a hand on her arm. "It's just another party," Bellamy said as a way of trying to get her to relax, even a little.

She laughed softly at that idly reaching up with her free hand to toy with the ends of her long hair. "No, it's really not," replied Clarke with a shake of her head, smiling faintly at him. "Thanks for trying."

"Hey, you've made it through worse situations. You can make it through today."

"Everything _changes_ after today. I no longer have a say in my life."

"Let's be honest, Princess. When have you ever?" Bellamy quirked a brow with a slight laugh and a smirk when Clarke shoved his shoulder with a laugh of her own. "You should head over there. Can't be late to your own party."

With a nod, Clarke took another deep breath before she continued walking, glancing over her shoulder only once and then she stepped into the clearing. Only seconds after she entered the lawns, Clarke was immediately approached by her mother. "There you are!" she exclaimed with a heavy sigh of relief. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"I was at the fountain," replied Clarke gesturing over her shoulder slightly, causing her mother to frown. "I wasn't alone. Bellamy was with me." She could easily anticipate her mother's want to scold her for going off on her own on a day such as that one, with guests and unknown people in the palace that could prove to be a foe rather than a friend. Clarke had not been able to effectively sneak away from the guard since Bellamy had joined the ranks. He was almost as good as her at sneaking around.

Abby seemed to relax a little at that information, reaching forward to idly toy with her daughter's hair, to get it to sit prettily against the blonde's shoulders. "Good. That's... good. They're here, inside; but, they will join us shortly. He's cute."

Abby and Clarke laughed softly at that, the younger woman reaching up to gently squeeze her mother's hand. They were both nervous, and Clarke took some slight comfort in knowing that even her mother was not exactly happy with the way things were. "Let's just get this meeting over with, yeah?" replied Clarke, managing another faint smile for her mother's benefit.


End file.
